Mar 5 No AI gloom

Automation is set to impact UK jobs in three waves, with the biggest impact expected in the late-2020s to mid-2030s. Up to 30% of jobs could potentially be impacted by automation by the early-2030s, but this will affect different types of workers and industries at different times, according to PwC.

PwC’s economists have identified the algorithm wave, the augmentation wave and the autonomy wave, and the study suggests that more women will initially be impacted by the rise of automation, whereas men are more likely to feel the effects in the third wave. This is due to the types of tasks that are more susceptible to automation and the current gender profiles of employment by sector.

However, this is neither gloom nor doom.

“In the long run, AI, robotics and related technologies should not only make a significant contribution to UK GDP of up to 10%, but should also generate enough new jobs to broadly offset the potential job losses associated with automation,” says John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC.